NHL fans should plan for playoff ticket sticker shock

Canadians who welcomed back the NHL with open arms despite a 113-day lockout will be opening their wallets even wider for their troubles if they want to enjoy playoff hockey. Post-season ticket prices for the Canadian teams that have so far clinched playoff berths are set to spike by between 50 and 75 per cent.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans, who will also see a nine-year playoff drought end, will be hit the hardest, although a complete price breakdown for the first round has not been made available. According to Ticketmaster.ca, the price range for regular-season tickets, including fees, is $78.75 to $458.75. For the first game of the first round of the playoffs, the ticket price range is $56.75 to $796.75.

In what could be seen at least in part as an effort to reach out to fans suffering from sticker shock, the club’s senior vice president and general manager Dave Nonis issued an open letter on Tuesday, thanking them “for your continued loyalty and support.”

Nonis called Leafs fans “the most passionate and dedicated in all of hockey,” saying they are valued members of the team.

“I look forward to joining you in cheering on our Leafs during the playoff journey,” Nonis concluded. “Go Leafs Go!”

What first-round tickets weren’t snapped up by season-ticket holders are being offered to fans who joined the team’s Last Minute Club by 10 a.m. on Wednesday . Those fans can start buying tickets in a pre-sale that begins Thursday at 10 a.m., while the general public can try for what, if any, tickets are left on Friday morning.

The Montreal Canadiens have released a full breakdown of ticket prices for both the regular season and the playoffs, and the average jump is about 50 per cent. Regular season tickets for home games at the Bell Centre range from $43 to $257. For the first round of the playoffs, ticket prices will start at $63 and top out at $418. Children’s tickets in the family zone remain unchanged at $21.

And in Vancouver, where regular-season tickets range from $85 to $306 before fees, first-round tickets for games at Rogers Arena will start at $123.75 and will go up to 425.75, before fees.

Two other Canadian teams remained on the playoff bubble Wednesday. The Ottawa Senators can secure a playoff spot with a victory in just one of their final three games, while the Winnipeg Jets need a win over Montreal and both the Sens and the New York Rangers to lose their remaining games.